Sorry I don't have any better news. I almost hesitated to report all this, but a friend at church encouraged me to continue to give detailed updates so people would know how to pray. As soon as I hear anything I'll post it.
~Mike

  May 22, 2006: Great things continue for Megan and her mother after the successful kidney transplant on May 4, 2006. This past Friday, our brother and sister in Christ, Joshua and Beth Spencer called in an order for us at our favorite Friday food - Papa Johns! What a surprise! You see Megan here tearing up the pizza! Thanks guys! Take time to check out their blog. We can't wait to see the new baby! Also, the doctors visit today showed the kidney is working great!
     Another great thing in Megan's life were the AWANA award ceremony at Charlestown Independent Church this past Saturday. We're supposed to keep Megan's exposure to the public to a minimum, so we didn't bring her to the dinner, and only stayed a little while for the awards. Megan, unfortunately, must wear a face mask in public. The drugs that she's on leave her susceptible to infections. We hope to be able to let her return to her life, especially at church in another month or less.
     Finally, we just got word that some wonderful people at Pleasant Ridge Elementary are hosting a fund raiser yard sale for the Megan Hensley Expense Fund. If you've spent any time at all reading this web page, you know that we don't talk about money very much. But this month has really started to clean our clocks a bit financially. So this fund raiser couldn't have come at a better time. Megan's drugs alone cost over $150 a month. That's a lot of pills for a little girl. You know, we really can't complain though. I'm thankful that we don't have to feel guilty that we are receiving money because Megan is ill. Since this started, people have generously helped by donating to Megan's Expense Fund. There are no extra funds there now after this past year. It's like God has given us just what we need (and only just that!). It just helps to make us trust Him that much more.

May 17, 2006: Megan continues to do great! She has another follow up with the kidney doctors in Louisville tomorrow morning. Megan's trips out of the house are kept to a minimum, but when she goes out in public she wears a face mask. I've ordered her some masks with Disney characters so we should be getting those soon. 
    Well, the pictures you see here are from the long awaited reunion of Maria Tibbs and her pillow. As you may know, Megan snagged Maria's pillow during the preparation for surgery. The image under the May 4th entry show Megan before surgery with the pillow. She used this pillow the entire stay at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Maria (Pastor Brian's wife) said seeing the pillow in the pictures on this blog let her feel like she was there with Megan. We are so grateful for our Pastor and Maria. They were there from the very beginning (and I mean from the first diagnosis). It was great to have them visit tonight. We were able to recall those first horrible days, and now witness the wonderful outcome! We give thanks to God for this wonderful day!

May 13, 2006: We are all so thankful to be home and together again!  The kids had a great time at their Aunt Joni's and Uncle Paul's while we were at the hospital - but they were ready to get home and to see their Megan, Mom and Dad. Megan continues to thrive. It is so awesome that she doesn't have to be tied to the dialysis machine every evening. Well, nothing new to report - which is a good thing!

May 11, 2006 (4:30pm):

 Megan and mommy have walked down to the movie room to  get another movie. Ok, they're back and it's Casper meets Wendy. Wonderful. That discharge won't come too soon. I'm all movied out for sure. See everyone back home. Look here for a note when we get there!

May 11, 2006 (11:30am):

May 10, 2006 (11:15am): The long awaited move off the intensive care unit happen today, but not until 10pm this evening. You can see Megan making the move reclined on her bed. She thought this was just grand! Lynn was actually discharged from the hospital today! I picked up her pain medicine and moved all her junk out to the van. She's feeling much better, but her endurance is still way down. I took her back to the Ronald McDonald house hotel this evening (before Megan's move) so she could rest. I don't know how in the world I thought that I would be back at work this past Monday and she would be here caring for Megan. I thank God that he made me realize I needed to stay here and care for Megan and Lynn. Like I've mentioned before, we were caught off-guard by the effects this surgery would have on Lynn. Don't worry....I'm taking real good care of her. Since we're off the ICU the nursing staff won't be checking on Megan every 15 minutes like before. So, I'll be staying the night with her. 
     Since Lynn's feeling better, and actually on her feet, she got behind the camera and got some pictures of me playing physical therapist for Megan. I got to watch the PT here at Cincinnati Children's do an assessment of her - I didn't tell her I was a PT until after she was done. I guess I was spying on her. Her name is Christy and I learned that she graduated from the same school I did (UofL).
     We still don't know when Megan will be discharged. The move off of ICU is a good sign. But I've heard everything from tomorrow, to Friday to through the weekend. I really hope and pray it's soon. I'm putting my bet on Friday. I really miss my other kids and hope to be back at work Monday.
     All is quiet now in Megan's new room. She's watching a movie about Panda Bears called The Amazing Panda Adventure (released in 1995). She says it's a good one.
THANK YOU ALL
A special thank you to the teachers and students at Pleasant Ridge Elementary School in Charlestown. Thanks so much for letting the kids visit Megan's page - the guestbook entries are very special. Thanks to all who have written and left your messages of Love and support.
To our family
Christian - Megan really appreciates that you are thinking of her. Lauren - she has listened to me reading your messages and has told the nurses all about you. And Shane, she knows you love and miss her too. She misses all of you guys (and so does your mom and dad!). Don't worry, your sister and Mom and Dad will be home very soon. Your Uncle Paul and Aunt Joni are the greatest for watching over you - that's one thing your mommy and I don't have to worry about!
    There really are too many people to thank so please don't feel left out if I don't mention you by name. We'll never forget this.
All Praise, Glory and Honor to Jesus Christ our Lord and God.

May 10, 2006 (09:50am): The ICU team just decided that Megan could leave the ICU this morning, as long as there's an open bed! She's very happy because this means: 1.She gets to ride in a wheelchair. 2.She gets to play in the play room down there. 3.She'll be closer to her mommy. For us, this means that we're getting closer to discharge from the hospital! Still don't know when yet. Lynn is doing great! Well, just a quick note because I'm not sure when I can do the next update.


May 9, 2006 (11:50pm): Lynn is much, much better. Back to normal almost except for the pain. She was able to spend most of the evening watching a movie (Nanny McPhee) with Megan and me. The walk back to her floor was a little rough. She was complaining of all the bleeps from the machines on the floor, and wanted me to get the ear plugs for her (she packed them for just such an occasion). I'm telling you... those bleeps have been there since she got our of surgery! So in a round about way, it's good that she's needed ear plugs. Thank God she's getting back to normal. She was mothering Megan before I walked her back to her room. Tomorrow, I'm supposed to pick up all the anti-rejection medications and all the other discharge drugs so they can sit down with us and go over the plan. They want to actually visualize each drug so there's no confusion possible.
Well, both my girls seem to have settled down for the night. The end is in sight. They've said discharge from the hospital is very soon, possibly Thursday, but my bet is Friday. They've been very cautious with Megan, and since she's still in ICU, I'm putting my money on Friday. In any event, we will almost certainly be back home for the weekend. We are really looking forward to getting our family back together again.

May 9, 2006 (3:40pm): Guess who's finally starting to come back to the land of the living?! Lynn asked to get up and shower. So the nurse disconnected her and I stood by as she got cleaned up. She even shaved her legs and did her hair. After she was all done, she asked to go back to bed - it pretty much wiped her out. Oh well. She's definitely getting back to her old self though. Her pain is much less today. 
     Megan will remain in the ICU for another day or so. I just spoke with the ICU doctor who said that Megan is doing fine, but the kidney is just taking it's time settling down. What happens after transplant is the new kidney basically just dumps water out. They have to measure the output and regulate how much they're putting through her IV. We're having a little problem with pain at the moment. They took her off IV pain med and the pain pump and are only giving her pain medicine when she asks for it. I just got the nurse to give her a dose so I'm sure she'll be feeling better soon.

May 9, 2006 (9:50am):

May 8, 2006 (10pm):

May 8, 2006 (8:02pm): Megan and Mom are getting a makeover! I can't believe it. The picture here is Megan getting her toenails painted. That girl totally thinks that she's is a princess!  Pictured is Linette Thornbury, with Mary Kay Cosmetics from Cincinnati. They come as a "Go Give Experience" to Cincinnati Children's Hospital once a month, to put smiles on little girl's faces.
     Lynn's mean therapist made her walk all the way to the elevators then down to Megan's room for this makeover. AND she has to walk back in a little while. But, whether or not she knows it, it's actually helping to get her well. I'm a big believer in physical therapy! 
~ Mike

May 8, 2006 (2:45pm): I got to see a physical therapist work with Lynn late morning. The therapist felt like she wouldn't have to pick Lynn up on caseload since I'll be getting her up and about. About 15 minutes ago I made (strongly encouraged) Lynn to walk 2 times around the unit. Then I brought her up to see Megan where she's now sitting and watching Mary Poppins with Megan. She's feeling much better, but still needs help (supervision) getting up and moving around.
     One of the kidney doctors just spoke with us. Again stating that Megan was doing great. Just a few more things to be worked out so she'll be staying on the ICU again tonight. Maybe tomorrow she'll be able to go down on the 5th floor near Lynn. The doctor also said that Megan may be able to go home in a couple of days. That will depend upon whether or not Lynn can be discharged and be able to understand Megan's medication regimen.
~ Mike

May 8, 2006 (9:30am): The Good News continues. They are looking at getting Megan off her catheter sometime today. If they can do that, she'll get to go down to the 5th floor where her Mommy is staying. Lynn is off the major pain medicines (IV) but she's now on oxycontin - so she's still hurting pretty bad. But she looks much better. And she's definitely more alert. She said this morning that this was the worse thing that she's gone through. I got her up in a chair just a few minutes ago. She wasn't too happy about getting up, but once sitting she did just fine.... just wait until she finds out that her personal physical therapist intends on walking her in the next hour! 
~ Mike

May 7, 2006 (11:45pm): Now Megan's totally happy. She's getting to eat and drink things that she hasn't been able to for months and months. Here you can see her with her favorite - Watermelon!! She also sent me to the store for something she described as like a circle, orange on the inside, kind of squishy and kind of gray on the outside. I looked and couldn't find anything like that, but I got her some cheese snacks, and some cantaloupe. When she saw the cantaloupe she said, "that's what I was talking about!"  Got some really good news...I think Lynn has started to return to reality. She called me on the cell phone (from downstairs - she's on the 5th floor and Megan's on the 6th). When I went down there she was much more lucid and talkative. She told me about some strange dreams she had. Evidently the pain medicine that really helped to pull her through last night and today, is known for kind of messing with your mind. I'm looking for tomorrow to be a big change. If Lynn doesn't call me in the next 45 minutes or so, I'll be heading off to the hotel.
~ Mike

May 7, 2006 (6pm): Megan continues to do "great!" She's smiling much more and is almost back to normal. She's still having to be watched in the ICU (where daddy spends most of his time), but that's just so they can watch her more closely. I got mom up a little while ago. I had to pull out my physical therapy on her - made her walk a lap around the unit. After that I brought her up to see Megan. You know she's not feeling well when she doesn't want to stay long. I have had to extend the time I planned on spending here in Cincinnati. To the staff and patients at STAR PT in Charlestown: Sorry about that. There is just no way I could leave this evening as originally planned. While Lynn is doing better, she's out of it most of the time. There's no way she could make decisions regarding Megan's care.
     Megan is sending me out on a run to the store. She wants WATERMELON! Her intake of this wonder fruit was limited before because he had too much potassium. 
     Megan made a little movie for all her fans out there (see below). You will probably not be able to view it unless you have a high speed internet connection.

If you can't play the video get the realplayer

~ Mike

May 7, 2006 (9:09am): Just spoke with the kidney doctors. Megan is doing "wonderfully" (their words). The creatinine level is in the normal range. Just a little problem with the central line (the port they put medicines in and take blood out) so they're going to remove that today. Her blood pressure is just a little elevated, but the doctors say this is probably due to the amount of IV fluids she's getting. That's what's making her a little puffy. She'll be staying in the ICU for now because they want to watch her urine output as they decrease the IV. Bottom line, "she's going by the book," according to one of her doctors.

(9:59am): Lynn is doing much better this morning. She probably doesn't realize much better. She's a little tanked up on pain medicine right now. She said she had some really strange dreams and she's really tired right now. I'm going to let her sleep until about 12 or 12:30 then I'm going to make sure they get her out of bed for a little while.
~ Mike

May 6, 2006 (1:10pm): Somehow the word got out that Lynn's remaining kidney was not functioning. Well that is not true. I think I mislead some people who called me yesterday. The nurses had given Lynn some fluids to make sure her kidney was putting out enough urine. Sorry about the confusion. I was kind of tired. Medically Lynn is doing just fine. She looks better but still needs lots of rest. Megan is back to doing art again!
~ Mike

Lynn seems to be resting well. I got to spoke to the Pain Team and they were supposed to go check things out. When I stepped in a few minutes ago it looks like they stopped the morphine drip. 

Thanks to everyone for the guestbook entries. I'm reading them to Megan and she seems glad to know people are thinking about her.
~ Mike

May 6, 2006 (7:45am): Just a quick note: Megan continues to do very well. Lynn is having a very difficult time with pain, headache and nausea. The nurse who was leaving night shift said she had a very bad night. I'll keep checking on her, but primarily I'll be staying in the room with Megan (that's what her mommy would want). Megan started feeling better last night and I think later this afternoon we may start to see her smile again. I'll write more later late morning or early afternoon.

May 5, 2006 (1pm): Well, check it out! Megan's room has an internet connection...so daddy will be able to update the web page. I finally got a smile out of Megan. Her 2nd grade class sent her a poem (I think the teacher had something to do with composing it). After I read it she smiled. Here it is:

MeggiPooh, how are you? When you are gone, we're very blue. When you visit us, we'll run to the door All our hugs will knock you to the floor! Just kidding, we will give you TLC We'll be just as gentle as we can be. Love and kisses from me to you See you later, Meggie-Pooh!

Things are going fantastic! Megan's blood chemistry levels have almost returned to normal. By that I mean they are better than we could even get them with the peritoneal dialysis!  Unfortunately, as you would expect after major surgery, neither Megan or her mom are feeling very well this morning. The picture above was taken today after Megan's nurse and I moved her to a chair for the first time. Not many smiles yet, but I'm thinking that tomorrow I'll be able to get that smile going. Lynn is looking much better. However, if I hadn't seen how bad she looked yesterday, I'd say she looks kind of rough right now. Lynn hasn't gotten out of bed yet, she's fighting fatigue and nausea. The nurse and doctors want to try later today to get Lynn up.

I was shocked and surprised to look out of Megan's room and see my boss from STAR Physical Therapy, Kent Chapman, standing there. He drove up from the Louisville area to check up on us. (that's around a two hour trip each way). It's pretty clear I made a good choice when I changed jobs to STAR PT. I'll take the opportunity to thank all the partners at STAR PT for the support. Also thanks to my fellow directors in the Louisville area. Special thanks to Tamara (Kent's wife) for covering for me at the new Charlestown Clinic during this time. And thanks to Pam, my awesome receptionist at STAR PT Charlestown for holding down the fort and all the well-wishes to my family.

Finally, thanks to all of you who have been there for us. That includes my family, Lynn's family and friends, the Discount Labels crew, our pastor, and all you who have sent words of encouragement through this site. We are so greatful.

Thank you GOD!
~ Mike

May 4, 2006:

May 4, 2006 (7:15pm): Praise the Lord!! The surgery was a complete success! I just finished speaking to the kidney doctors and they were Very Pleased! The transplanted kidney is working great! When I left the hospital (to make some arrangements for my hotel room) Megan was resting comfortably. Lynn, while doing good medically, looks very rough and is in a lot of pain. The pain team is working with her to get her pain down without depressing her breathing so much. But like I said, she's medically stable. I may try to get some pictures up here very late tonight. HOWEVER, because I have to move hotel rooms (to a cheaper one) PLUS (and more importantly) because I have two hurting girls to take care of, I wouldn't expect daily updates here.

THANK YOU so much to my two brothers, Paul and Bryan for surprising us with a visit. Also, Pastor Brian and Maria Tibbs - what can we say about your support? All four were there for us during the whole ordeal. None left until they were sure the girls were doing well.

Thanks to all for your love, prayers and support.

Thanks especially to our Heavenly Father!
~ Mike


May 4, 2006 - SURGERY DAY (4:55am): 4am comes early when you don't get enough sleep. Megan had a few coughing spells that kept us awake. We're moving around the room now getting ready. I've got Megan in the middle of a "drain" on the peritoneal dialysis machine. This time we will leave her "dry" per the surgeon's instructions. Usually, at the end of the night, the machine puts about 300cc of dialysis fluid in her abdomen trough the "tubie" (as Megan calls it) in her belly. But today, we didn't let the machine put any more in. Megan - the little rascal - seems rippin' and ready to go this morning. If you have an interest in such things you can learn more about this kind of dialysis by clicking here. 

Well, got to get it going. I suspect I won't put an update until here until late evening. May God Bless my two girls today and bring them back safe.
~ Mike

May 3, 2006 (10:40pm): We have to get up at about 4am tomorrow! Yuck! Megan has settled down very well in her nice comfy bed. Here are some pictures taken this evening. In the one at right you can see that we had to bring the peritoneal dialysis machine from home. We're suppose to make sure we drain her  completely before we take her to the hospital. About the pictures on this site. If you don't know already, you can click on almost any picture to get a larger version. 

Goodnight all you Megan fans out there.

~ Mike, Lynn and Megan
Kingsgate Marriott
Cincinnati, Ohio

May 3, 2006 (8pm): We have had lots of fun today running around Cincinnati. We dropped in on the Cincinnati Zoo about 40 minutes before closing and this wonderful lady working the gates let us go in free. We then proceeded to spend more than admission price on train ride tickets, a new stuffed friend (Megan calls him "Pambi" - She explains he's sort of like a Bambi who happens to be a Panda Bear). The picture here are from the zoo and the hotel (the indoor ones being the hotel). Megan seems to be having a great time! She's in very good spirits. She does have a little cough. It seems almost like an allergy-type cough. We're a little worried that they may call off the surgery for something like this. But we'll find out soon enough tomorrow when Megan and Lynn get their pre-surgery checkup. Lynn and I can't believe the time has finally come for the transplant... This is the day we've known would come for a long time. I found myself driving around Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky wishing that we could just keep driving.

Keep the girls in your prayers...the time is upon us.
Thanks to everyone for your help, thoughts, prayers

The LORD is my shepherd;
     I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
     He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
     He leads me in the paths of righteousness
     For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
     I will fear no evil;
     For You are with me;
     Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
     You anoint my head with oil;
     My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
     All the days of my life;
     And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
     Forever.
~Psalm 23

~ Mike, Lynn and Megan
Kingsgate Marriott
Cincinnati, Ohio

May 3, 2006

May 2, 2006: Well, the time is upon us. It's 11:30pm and Lynn and I are working on packing for tomorrow's trip to Cincinnati Children's Hospital. It's so late because it's practically impossible to do anything around here with the four kids up and running around. It was especially difficult tonight because Megan's brothers and sister were exited about getting to spend almost a week at their Uncle Paul and Aunt Joni's house while we are at the hospital.

Megan went right to sleep and doesn't seem worried. Lynn says she's actually excited about the trip. She's going to be disappointed because she really wanted to stay at the Ronald McDonald house the day before surgery. (We couldn't get a room there). She said that would be ok though, because she's sure that they'll have some fun stuff at the hospital. Besides, we've recently received a new batch of toys and art supplies and all kinds of fun stuff from Megan's fans at STAR Physical Therapy (My place of work) and Discount Labels (Lynn's work). Mom was especially thankful for a diary that my receptionist, Pam, got for her. Pictured at right is Megan and her new kitty "Star" - a gift from my boss from STAR Physical Therapy and his wife, Tamara (who is covering for me at work until I get back).  Lynn says she recently named one of her other stuffed animals (another cat) "Star."

April 30, 2006: Megan and Lynn are going to Cincinnati EARLY tomorrow to get the "final crossmatch" for the kidney transplant. Basically, this will check out both Megan and Lynn to make sure they are ready for surgery, THIS THURSDAY MORNING!  Lynn, Megan and I will be heading down to Cincinnati to spend the night Wednesday. Megan is really hoping that we can stay at the Ronald McDonald house (hotel) right next to the hospital. She'll stay there the one night then it will be only Dad (me!) staying with Ronald the rest of the time (oh boy!).  Megan and Lynn are still both excited about this coming week. They are completely trusting the Lord to make this whole thing work out. This picture is Megan at the Charlestown Independent Church Easter Egg Hunt. ~ Mike April 27, 2006: Megan's mom, Lynn will definitely be the donor for Megan's kidney transplant. The surgery is scheduled for May 4th at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Please keep Megan and Lynn in your prayers.      Megan is doing very well and actually seems a little excited about the upcoming surgery. She is really looking forward to the day that she can stop getting the nightly dialysis. Thanks so much to everyone who has offered prayers and best wishes. Thanks especially to our church family. The Pastor recently mentioned Megan on his blog.      Some have asked about visiting us in the hospital or soon after the transplant. Due to the immunosuppressant drugs that Megan must take, we are asking that people do not plan on visiting with us in the near future. We greatly regret asking this, because the support we have received in the past at the hospital and at home has been a blessing. Thanks again to all! April 1, 2006: We recently learned that Megan's mom almost certainly will be the donor for the kidney transplant. The transplant is tentatively scheduled for around May 4th. Monday, March 20, 2006: Ok, I'm in big trouble for not keeping this blog updated. Well, here goes: Lynn (Megan's mom) has been undergoing tests to determine if she can be the kidney donor for Megan. Well, so far so good. But Lynn has to go to Cincinnati Children's Hospital at the end of this week for further tests. So I hope we'll know early next week if Megan will get a kidney from her mom. If Lynn doesn't pass the tests, Megan will have to go on a donor list, which she'll probably be on for about a year, according to those in the know. One of the down sides to kidney failure (as if there's a upside)... but anyway, in children, kidney failure stunts the child's development. We can see it very clearly in our children. We have always had pictures of the kids in a stair step formation. Currently the kids are 7, 8, 9, and 11. Well, Lauren (the 7 year old) actually passed up her big sister in height. What follows is a email from Lynn regarding this. Just FYI, in the story AWANA is a Christian group for kids, sort of like Christian Cub Scouts, but centered on learning bible scriptures. ---------------start email------------------------ I forgot to tell you something that happened at Awana last night. Janette had all the kids line up tallest to shortest to reassign color teams & Lauren is about 1/2" taller than Megan now. Poor thing, but I told them that at least they can wear each others clothes now. Lauren went into the closet & looked on Megan's side & said "Wow! Look at all the cool shirts I can wear!" :) Megan said "Uh-uh, you're not wearing my clothes!" I explained how they each look better in different colors, so they calmed down after that-thank God. :) Lynn ---------------start email------------------------ The picture above is very recent, March 18. Megan is helping her daddy with cooking. ~Mike Monday, February 20, 2006: Great News! So far it looks like Megan's mom (Lynn) will be a good donor for the kidney transplant! Lynn has undergone a pile of tests and now the only thing that's left is a CT angiogram of her kidneys. This has been scheduled for March 24th. So that would put the transplant as early as April, but we just don't know at this point. From what I understand, the actual date will depend on the surgery schedule at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. The image at right is the joint birthday party for Megan (at right) and her sister Lauren. They are 7 and 8 years old now! As you can see Megan's little sister has essentially caught up to her in size. From what we've learned, the loss of kidney function has essentially stunted Megan's growth. This is one of the reasons we're hoping for a transplant as soon as possible. Thanks to everyone who has sent their love and support (you know who you are!). We really appreciate it! ~ Mike Wednesday, January 25, 2006: Sorry! The website has been down for more than a day because I forgot to renew the domain name "meganshome.net." OOPS. Megan's doing just fine. Nothing much to report. Tuesday, January 24, 2006 (6pm): Good news and bad news. The good news is Megan and Mom are on the way home this evening, after only one day of testing. The bad news is they will have to go back regularly at 2-3 week intervals for testing. But so far so good. Looks like we've got a long haul ahead of us. The pictures were taken at the Ronald McDonald House, near Cincinnati Children's Hospital this evening, just before the girls start the trip back from Cincinnati. ~ Mike Monday, January 23, 2006 (8:45pm): I just got word that Megan and her mom made it to Cincinnati safely! They will be staying at the Ronald McDonald House very near to Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Megan and Lynn will be undergoing tests related to the upcoming kidney transplant. As soon as they get settled, they're supposed to send me a few photos. ~ Mike Thursday, January 19, 2006: Yesterday all the kids forced their daddy to take them sledding. So off we went to "the hill" by the library in our home town of Charlestown, Indiana. They all had a great time. pictured is Megan climbing up the hill. The sun was so bright you can see her pink reflection on the snow (I told her she was such a girl even her shadow was pink).   Well, it's getting closer to the time when Megan will get a kidney transplant. Her mom has scheduled the first check up at Cincinnati Children's Hospital next week. Megan and her mom (who may be the kidney donor) will both be tested. The testing could take up to a week, but we're hoping it won't take that long! Hopefully the Ronald McDonald House will come available (only $5 a night!) but for now they will be staying at a regular motel. The kids and I will have to stay at home for this one.   We're hopeful that God will bless this trip, keeping both the girls safe, and getting us good news from the doctors at Cincinnati. I just thank God that we've made it this far! Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."  Ephesians3:20-21 (NKJV) ~ Mike  Wednesday, December 28, 2005: Megan and Mom are back from the hospital! They came back yesterday afternoon. Everyone was happy about that! Megan said the food was terrible this time (she's a picky little girl). We are still not sure if she actually had peritonitis or not. They repeated the cultures before they left the hospital. But in any event we are having to put antibiotics into her dialysis solution. Thanks for all the prayers! The picture her is Megan as she's leaving the hospital yesterday. I recently finished an online memorial for Megan's Papa. You can see it here:  http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsp=26870844&GRid=12796131 ~ Mike Monday, December 26, 2005 (4pm): So far still good news. The doctor cannot explain exactly why Megan was in so much pain last night. It doesn't look like she has an infection after all. Below are some assorted photos that Megan's mom is taking of Megan's stay in the hospital, courtesy of her Nokia cell phone. Monday, December 26, 2005 (2:29pm): Megan was admitted to the hospital. She has had some tests done and we're waiting on results. Initial response from the doctor is that Megan's condition does not seem to be too bad. Probably she will just be kept overnight for observation. The picture here was just taken by Lynn using her camera phone. Megan looks like she's doing ok. Thank God. ~ Mike Monday, December 26, 2005: Megan and her mom are on the way to Kosair Childrens Hospital. Megan may have an abdominal infection and will probably be admitted. We will know more this afternoon. Tuesday, November 22, 2005: Once again I've waited too long to update this blog. Many regrets! There have been too many things going on around here lately.  Firstly, I'm happy to announce that Megan is doing very well lately! At the last check up the docs said that her blood chemistry looked great.  Megan still suffers from low energy at times, and we have had a couple instances of nausea on and off... but for the most part things have been looking good for Megan. Unfortunately, Megan's Papa is not doing well at all. For about three weeks he has been in the hospital and most of that time on a ventilator. He suffered a heart attack and respiratory arrest on October 28th. Things have gone from bad to worse after his surgery. The possibility that Papa may not make it has not been lost on Megan. She seems to be taking this situation harder than the rest of the kids. As for me, I am extremely close to my father. While I pray for a healing, I am satisfied that if he passes he will be with the Lord. Years ago Dad made me promise that when he dies I'm not to go around being sad because he will be where he wants to be. And we honor my dad now by continuing on with our lives and keeping the kids happy. Halloween went on as always just three days after dad went in the hospital, while he was on the ventilator. He would want it this way. We trusted our children completely with dad - he and mom watched them daily through the week. And now we trust our Heavenly Father to watch over dad. ~ Mike Wednesday, August 17, 2005: Sorry so long since an update!! Megan's fine lately. We did have a problem with dehydration about a week ago though. Seems too much fluid was pulled off her during her nightly dialysis. This made her ill and at a doctor's appointment the decision was made to rehydrate her with IV fluid. She didn't have to be admitted so that was good. It's a fine line between keeping her blood pressure down and dehydrating her.   Megan has become such a trooper with all the things she goes through. The last shot I had to give her she didn't even make a sound. Those of you who have followed Megan know this is quite a change!    This evening at church, the secretary gave me a package addressed to me c/o the church. Turned out to be a watercolor painting of Megan from Ken Withers who had read about Megan in the Southeast Outlook. It's a treasure! The whole family was touched by this gift. The image at left can be clicked to view a larger image. Thanks Ken!! ~ Mike Sunday, July 10, 2005: We had a great Holiday World trip yesterday! We taped up Megan's peritoneal catheter site with a transparent dressing and let her enjoy Splashing Safari. All the kids had a great time and were totally spoiled. At one point the girls were talking about getting a tube for one of the rides and Lauren called it a "tubie" - that's the name we use to talk about Megan's catheter. Lauren made a comment about Megan's "tubie" and Megan said, "Oh, don't remind me ... I just want to be normal for once." Poor baby. But after that I think she did feel normal. Everything's doing fine with Megan these days. The doctors from Cincinnati Children's Hospital seem to have essentially confirmed that Kosair Children's is following the proper course of treatment. They're still going to review the pathology slides from her kidney biopsy, but at this point I think that's just a formality. They confirmed that chemotherapy treatment at this point would not be a good idea, as without functioning kidney's the drug would not be able to be cleared from her system effectively, potentially harming her. I'm completely satisfied that we got this second opinion. It's reassuring that our doctors have been following the right course. ~ Mike Thursday, June 30, 2005: Megan had another "why me" breakdown last night. I can only imagine how hard it must be for a 7 year old to understand why she must put up with all the doctor's visits, the shots and the nightly dialysis. I found Lauren, her 6 year old sister, trying to console her - that wasn't going too well. Lauren's line of reasoning, I believe, could be summed up as, "Hey, it could be worse .... it could be ME in your shoes." It was kind of funny, in a way. I talked to Megan about how eventually, she'll have a brand new body and there will be no more tears, no more sadness or sickness or death. She liked that idea. The picture here is a self-portrait Megan did a few days back. I found the picture at her grandma's home, where she stays with her brothers and sister during the work day. Despite all her trials, I think deep down, she's still a happy girl! And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."  He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"  Revelation 21:3-5 (NIV) ~ Mike Thursday evening June 23, 2005: We're back from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center after a consultation with doctors there about Megan's condition. We spoke with a Fellow there named Michael Shizhou and a rheumatologist, Dr. Passo. Basically, we were seeking their opinion regarding Megan's condition and what they thought would be a proper course at this point. They were very frank, letting us know that they had not seen many cases like Megan's. But they were very thorough. Dr. Passo knows one of the foremost experts in diseases like Megan's, a Dr. Gary Hoffman at the Cleveland Clinic. They also know a doctor there who was once a Fellow at Cincinnati Children's, a Dr. Phil Hashkes who will likely be their actual contact when asking for advise regarding Megan's situation. We feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity. I have heard of Dr. Hoffman through contacts made through this website. Megan did pretty well through the whole thing. She wasn't happy about having to get some blood work drawn though! The Fellow and the Doctor wanted to get a current picture of Megan's situation instead of simply relying on previous blood test results. They will also request the kidney biopsy slides made back in January just to double check the results. I'll post results of the tests as soon as we know. ~ Mike Saturday, June 18, 2005: We all went to the Louisville Zoo today. It was wonderful weather! This will count as our Father's Day outing for this year. The most amazing thing about this year's zoo trip was that no child had to be carried. For the last several years, one or more of the kids had to be pushed, pulled or carried when we went to the zoo. Most amazing was that Megan did just fine! She and the kids seemed to have a great time although we didn't see the "rare white alligator."  The biggest news for Megan is that we are going to Cincinnati Children's Hospital next week (Thursday). They are supposed to have some of the best and brightest there as far as children's medicine. We are very hopeful that they may have some ideas. Currently, we're wondering what the disease process is up to, and if Megan shouldn't be on some sort of drug therapy to prevent the disease from attacking other organs. Anyway, everyone's fine tonight. Megan's hooked up the the peritoneal dialysis cycler machine and the other's are getting ready for bed. Below are some of the animals Megan enjoyed today. ~ Mike June 6, 2005: Wow, where does the time go?! Megan was released from the hospital Wednesday. She had a follow up with her kidney doctor who felt things were going well. Megan was relieved that she now only has to get the Epogen shot (by her daddy) one time a week instead of two .... however the bad news is that tonight is the night for the shot. It's getting easier for both of us, but she still cries every time. I have a couple of thank you's that need to be sent out. First thanks so much to Laura and Steve Gettelfinger for the very generous gift to Megan and her family. One of the things that has happened since Megan became ill was that her mom has had to take much of her vacation time to be in the hospital with Megan. So we won't be able to take our yearly camp out for a week at Patoka Lake. But now will be trying to keep the kids satisfied with weekend day trips and Laura and Steve will be on our mind every time we go! THANK YOU! And to our new friend from FindAGrave, Sandy (aka 'schcrochet')  who sent Megan a beautiful hand- made Afgan! It really is lovely and it's in Megan's website colors! Sandy: For a short time a "photo quality" image is available for download. Right click and save to your computer  - megan.jpg (1.39mb) We know there are many of you we haven't been able to personally thank, and perhaps those who we should thank more.... but we hope you realize that you are appreciated! ~ Mike & Lynn May 30, 2005: [Still in the hospital] Megan seems to be feeling much better. The doctors think her peritonitis was caused by a staph infection. While I hate to see her in the hospital, she's clearly not feeling as bad as she did the last time. We've heard that she may get to go home Wednesday. Lynn will be staying with her as usual. I don't think she'll ever let me stay again. Although she misses the other kids during the hospital stays, she can't stand to be away from Megan. As you can see from the picture (taken 5/29) Megan's still got her spirit.  ~ Mike May 29, 2005 (Sunday): Megan is back in the hospital at Kosair Children's Hospital. I was up most of the night with her. She was having severe abdominal pain. I tried whatever I could to make her comfortable. In the morning there was no question that we were not going to church, but we were hopeful she just had a tummy ache. When it intensified, we called the doctor who told us to bring her in. They think she probably had peritonitis (infection of the lining of the abdominal cavity). We'll find out in a day or so. Lynn just called from the hospital and said she's resting comfortably. I'll be getting some things together here to take over. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) ~ Mike May 24, 2005: Megan continues to do well! We went to Lauren's kindergarten graduation and Megan just bounced back and forth on our laps and to the floor. I suppose back in the old days it would've aggravated me. But it was pure joy to see her feel so good. I remember the times before we knew what was wrong - she would often just crawl up in our laps and sleep. Sometimes she'll still do that in church. And that's not just because she's bored (although I think it has something to do with it). Often in the mornings she's a little off, I believe due to the dialysis that we do nightly.  I am so grateful to God for this period of relative calm! Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,  and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.  Proverbs 20:16 (NIV) ~ Mike May 11, 2005: Overall things have been going great. We did have an unfortunate episode of vomiting in church Sunday. We're not quite sure what that was all about. While there may be some relation to the starting of the dialysis, we just don't know. The good news is that Megan's blood pressure seems to be moving towards normal even witho